Oh Baby, I'm a Fool For You

!I woke up that morning with my phone ringing a generic tone. Cracking my eyes open, I sat up, realizing I was in my bed alone. "Ben?" I called as I felt around for my phone; Ben was nowhere to be seen. Finding my phone, I opened it without looking at who was calling. "Hello?"
"KAYA!"
I coughed, bringing up the blankets around me. "Nikolai?"
He squealed so high that I had to put the phone far away from my ear. "Oh my gosh, I've been suffering so much without you! Home is so boring! I went to visit my sister and she's so dull. I don't think we're related. At all. She wanted to stay home all day and all night and her wardrobe is so dark and monochromatic, it makes my eyes hurt. And she's not even funny, Ky! I think I was adopted. My parents are gone but still, I think I'm adopted, even though I can't ask. Don't they have genetic tests for that? Anyway, how are you, darling?" I swear he said that all in one breath.
"I'm doing great," I replied. "You're the one who sounds like is miserable," I teased.
"Because I AM!" A loud thump sounded from his side. "I'm even paying, like, a fortune to make this call. That's how bad it is."
"Aw, I miss you too," I cooed.
"Nine more days, Ky! Oh, and I forgot, but happy Christmas Eve!" he cried.
"Oh right, it is," I said absentmindedly.
"You dumb-dumb, can't even remember Christmas. Aren't you surrounded by family?"
"Yeah, my sister and my nephew," I told him.
"What about your parents?" he asked.
My stomach tightened. "My mom died when I was eighteen, and my dad..." I sighed and leaned back against the cool pillows behind me. "He's just not in the picture."
"Aw, I'm so sorry, sweetheart!" he yelled. "I didn't mean to get you all sad! I hate it when you're sad. Smile, darling! Smile, smile, smile!" he chanted.
I smiled widely at my best friend's voice. "I miss you so much," I said softly. "I need you to keep my days full of excitement and fashion mishaps!"
He gasped, appalled. "Mishaps?" he repeated. "Mishaps?! I dress like one dead sexy mother-"
"Ah, ah, ah!" I interrupted. "Watch your tongue, young man," I teased.
He made a sound like 'hmph' and I could just see him puffing out his bottom lip in a pout.
Suddenly my bedroom door opened, and Jonah came running in, his dark hair messy. "Kaya!" he exclaimed, jumping onto my bed.
"Good morning, sweetie," I said, sitting up and allowing him to crawl into my lap.
"Are you on the phone?" he whispered, pointing to my cell phone.
"Who is that? Are you cheating on me?" Nikolai demanded.
"Yeah, with Ben," I told him. "Yes, I am," I said to Jonah.
"I'm sorry," he mouthed.
"That's okay," I said, smoothing down his hair.
"I demand you tell me who that is!" Nikolai shouted. "You better not be seeing another man behind our backs!"
"Our?" I repeated with a laugh.
"Me and the prince. You're our girl, no one else's!" Nikolai said stubbornly.
"I think Ben would argue that," I replied, allowing Jonah to take my free hand and bend my fingers. "He's probably under the assumption that I don't have another boyfriend."
"But... But... What about me?" Nik wailed.
"You're my best friend," I said simply. "And you know that I love you sooo much!"
He scoffed and said, "You better! Now, who is disrupting our conversation?"
"My six year old nephew."
A period of silence followed. "Oh. Well that's okay then."
"Jonah, do you want to say hi to my friend?" I asked. "His name is Nikolai and he works in New Zealand with me."
"Okay," Jonah said sheepishly, taking the phone and putting it against his ear. "Hello?" he said softly. "My name is Jonah." He looked up at me. "Good I guess." He picked up a lock of my hair that was resting on my shoulder. "Dark brown and a little curvy."
I chuckled and hugged my nephew.
"I don't know, she looks healthy." He listened for a few seconds, then took the phone away from his ear, offering it toward me. "I don't want to talk to him anymore."
I put the phone to my ear. "What did you say to my innocent little nephew?"
"I just asked him if Ben was sleeping in your room and if your sheets were stained."
"Nik!" I said in shock. "That's-"
"Harmless to a child unless they already know about sex," Nikolai teased.
"Fine," I relented.
"Mommy has lunch ready," Jonah whispered, and crawled off my bed, running out the door.
"Lunch?" I squeaked.
"Did you just wake up, Ms. Martin?" Nikolai asked.
Leaning over, I grabbed my alarm clock and gasped loudly. It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. "Yeah... That explains the sunshine."
"Get your lovely butt out of bed!" he snapped. "I'm calling you again, you know that right?"
"I would be heart broken if you didn't," I replied with a smile.
"I love you, my bestest friend in the whole wide world!" he yelled.
"Right back at you!"
"Bye darling!" he said, making a 'mwah' sound.
"Bye Nik!" I closed my phone and stood up, a permanent smile on my face from my conversation. I quickly donned dark jeans, a violet t-shirt with a series of black broken hears on the bottom right, and a zip-up black hoodie. I quickly went downstairs, stopping in the dining room where Veronica and Jonah were sitting around the table.
"Finally, babe, we've been waiting for you!" my sister said.
"I'm so sorry," I said in all honesty, moving to sit next to Jonah. "I didn't realize what time it was." Taking a grilled cheese sandwich from the platter in front of me, I took a bite, savoring the flavor. "Where's Ben?" I asked, scanning the room.
"He went to get you-" Jonah started.
"He's not here right now," Veronica interrupted.
In confusion, I asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean he's not in my house," she said simply, shrugging.
"Where could he be?" I asked, taking another bite of my sandwich.
"Mommy, he went-"
"Oh Jonah, you spilled your milk!" Veronica interrupted again.
"No I- Hey!" Jonah cried as his mother tipped his cup of milk towards him, milk splashing against his shirt. "Mom!"
"Oh, better get you cleaned up," she said hurriedly, and stood up only to pick up her complaining son. "We'll be back," she said with a grin, then made her way up the stairs.
Biting my lip, I turned and looked out the window. Outside, the sky was bright yet grey, a typical sky for a December day. Snow was sparse on the ground, but it didn't mean it wasn't cold. Thinking about the water assault my family had launched the other day, I shivered.
A lightbulb went off in my head when I finished my sandwich, and I ran up the stairs, pass the bathroom where Jonah was being unhappily forced to take a bath, and to my room. Snatching my phone, I opened it and called Ben. The phone rang four times, then went to his voicemail. "Damn," I whispered. "Hey Ben, it's Kaya, just wondering where you are. I''m not trying to be clingy or anything, it's just that you don't know the area or anyone else here really so...Yeah. Bye!" Upon closing the phone, I realized how much of a loser I sounded in that message.
My phone chimed, indicating a text message just minutes later. I opened the phone, and smiled as widely as my face would allow when I saw that it was from Ben.
'Don't worry, I'm fine. Be back by three."
I scrunched up my nose and typed back, "Okay," before shutting the phone and laying on my back. What could he possibly be doing?